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Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

March 28, 2008 07:18PM
Turner Classic Movie is running "Colorado Territory" on Sat, Mar 29. It is on in Durango at 2 pm, so I suppose it is on at noon, EDST. This movie exists in both B&W and a colorized version. I don't know which is being broadcast.
This was filmed in Durango in the fall of 1948. This was the first film to use the DRGW railroad since the movies by Jim Jarvis in 1918 or so. The movie used the line to Farmington, going south from Durango.
Joel McCrea was a star and the entire filming was followed closely by the local newspaper, "The Durango Herald-Democrat" The following is from the paper of Sept. 23, 1948.
First let me give a summary and then an actual quoted passage. In brief the story mentions that the film crew was communicating via shortwave radio, at 31.06 megacycles. The same wavelength was being used by the police in Miami, Florida. Due to unusual weather conditions, the film crew regularly picked up police static from Florida.
For an hour McCrea rehearsed an action scene where he boards a speeding train from his galloping horse. Raoul Walsh, director, stood with his camera crew and kept working to obtain just the shot he wanted. Each time, McCrea and the train engineers were told by Walsh to "Go Ahead". Finally Walsh was satisfied. He went back to his director location, McCrea went off into the woods and the train backed up the track.
The radio crackled, "Go ahead"
[Now, I'll quote directly from the "Herald Democrat"]

"Down the train snorted the engine, smoke pouring from its old fashioned stack, while MCCrea, riding hell for leather, came streaking out of the woods, racing abreast of the puffing engine and leaped aboard -- looking like a very tough and determined hombre indeed.
Camera men stared in amazement -- empty film magazines in their hands -- at one of the finest action scenes they'd ever witnessed. Walsh beat his head and wailed. Fifteen minutes later they had to do it all over again.
Tired, grimy, and bruised, MaCrea commented, "I guess I can take it if the horse can."
The horse made no comment."

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Well, another day of filming in 1948. That year "Sand" was also filmed in the Durango area, but did not use the train. There is an airplane search for a horse around Molas Lake, but no scenes of the train.

I do not know which locomotive was being used for Colorado Territory. Given all the renumbering that occurs during filming, the number on the locomotive may not be accurate. Anyone know more about this?

As another amusing note, the location manager of the movie was Kenneth Cox. In an news story of Sept 19, he said "... we will appreciate the public's cooperation in not visiting locations during the first few difficult days any picture goes through at the start..."
But just three days earlier , Cox had said that "present plans are for shooting the film at the Durango Station, the Bondad crossing, and points inbetween."

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Colorado Territory is available on DVD. If the name Walsh seems familiar, it might be because he was, in a "western" setting, remaking his 1941 movie with Bogart, "High Sierra."
Subject Author Posted

Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

bill ramaley March 28, 2008 07:18PM

Re: Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

bill ramaley March 28, 2008 07:22PM

Re: Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

Charlie Leveritt March 29, 2008 08:35AM

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Fred T March 29, 2008 06:26PM

Re: Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

rgsron March 29, 2008 08:45AM

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Jerry Day March 29, 2008 08:53AM

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hank March 29, 2008 09:01AM

Re: Colorado Territory -- 1949 movie

bill ramaley March 29, 2008 08:26PM

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Charlie Mutschler March 29, 2008 08:59PM



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